Be the Change

There is so much going on in the world and in my country right now and I have been so brokenhearted by it all that I've been struggling to do the creative things I usually love to do.

Sometimes, it's all just too much and I need to take a break.

I look around and see so much cruelty, selfishness, greed, corruption, and ignorance that I just don't quite know what I, myself, can really do about it.

I want to help be the change I wish to see in the world, but yet, how?

How can I be the change when it seems as though the problems are insurmountable?

I don't really have all the answers, but I do think I have to scale down and zoom in to figure out what it looks like for me personally.

And right now, my plan is to:

• accept my own limited resources (limited health being the primary one)

• accept that I can't single-handedly fix everything

• stay aware, yet not obsessed (stay educated on the issues, but don't swim in them for too long)

• pay attention to how I actually can help in ways that feel honoring to me and others

• donate to and support people and organizations who are doing the work to honor the human rights of all people, especially those who have been marginalized

• create a beautiful, peaceful, creative, and hopeful environment in my local community and home (because these are things that fuel us to carry on)

• live my values on a daily basis

• occasionally state my perspectives in online spaces in ways that feel honoring to me and my personal values and wellbeing (without going so far that it creates excessive internal chaos)

• do the work to remain grounded, calm, and intentional with my daily choices

I wish I could do more, but this is it for me, for now. I will try to face the reality of what is happening and also fight for hope, joy, and a better tomorrow.

Much love to all who are suffering at this time.

It's rough out there.

With love,

from Julia

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A note about my social values: I recognize that not every person has access to the resources needed to be able to cultivate a life of peace, beauty, and joy, which is why I will always support systems and people who are doing the work to move toward a world that supports the basic needs and rights of all people. I believe that "the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members." - Gandhi